Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) was a more tragic Star Trek character than both Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Odo was originally conceived as DS9‘s answer to Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s android and Star Trek: The Original Series‘ Vulcan. A core member of the DS9 crew, Odo had a fascinating arc that was steeped in tragedy, as he dealt with prejudice, unrequited love, and the rejection of his own people. Data and Spock endured similar tragedies, but there were aspects of Odo’s DS9 story that made him a far more tragic figure.
The more tragic aspects of Rene Auberjonois’ Odo were first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s second-ever episode, “A Man Alone”. Framed for murder, Odo is forced to confront the prejudice of the station’s Bajoran populace who treat him with fear and suspicion due to his mysterious origins and his work with the Cardassians. Spock and Data had to deal with their own share of prejudice and suspicion, but the strength of feeling against Odo and his people means that concerns about Data’s evil brother and Spock’s Romulan sympathies pale into comparison.
Odo Was DS9’s Answer To Star Trek’s Data And Spock
As the enigmatic shapeshifter, Odo was created as the alien character who would provide an alternative take on DS9‘s human crew. In an early Odo and Quark scene, the Changeling and the Ferengi observe an argument between Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao), with an entertainingly alien detachment. It’s similar to how, for example, Data observed the O’Briens’ wedding in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Data’s Day”. However, Odo’s gruffness, and Auberjonois’ wry charm as an actor combine to make the Changeling’s observation of human relationships and his reasons for never pursuing one are both wryly funny and quietly tragic.
Odo has a dryer wit than Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series and is far less idealistic about humanity than Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Data. Odo is the perfect Data and Spock replacement for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s more grounded take on Gene Roddenberry’s universe. What makes Odo even more alien and compelling is the fact that he isn’t a Starfleet officer. This meant that, on top of providing an outside view on humanity, Odo could also question Starfleet’s methods and practises from an independent perspective. This was something that, as Starfleet officers, Spock and Data were never really able to do in any real depth.
Spock And Data Knew Their Star Trek Origins – Odo Didn’t
As indicated by the title of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s first Odo episode, “A Man Alone”, the Changeling was one-of-a-kind in the show’s early days. The same could be said for Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as he too was alone until he met his evil twin Lore in TNG season 1. However, Data knew what he was and had an understanding of where he came from – the planet Omicron Theta. Spock may have struggled to fit in as the half-Vulcan and half-Human child of Sarek (Mark Lennard) and Amanda Grayson (Jane Wyatt), but he was always aware of his origins, even if they caused him inner turmoil at a young age.
Odo, however, was discovered drifting in space and was taken for analysis by the Bajoran Center for Sciences. Data and Odo’s lives started similarly, in laboratories and under the supervision of various scientists. Doctor Mora Pol (James Sloyan) took a long time to realize that Odo was a sentient life form, after inflicting a considerable amount of pain on the Changeling before he realized. Unlike Data, Odo had no humanoid form in which to assert his sentience, and was forced to begin using his Changeling abilities to demonstrate that he was learning to mimic his surroundings.
Even after Odo was recognized as a sentient being, he remained unclear about his origins for many years. It wasn’t until the discovery of the wormhole that the prospect of answers was presented to Odo. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Vortex”, Odo was manipulated by a criminal from the Gamma Quadrant who claimed to have information about his origins. Sadly, Odo was being lied to, however there was a shade of truth in the story he was fed. Odo and the Changelings did originate in the Gamma Quadrant, and their eventual discovery would make his life even more difficult.
Odo’s Evil Relatives Were Worse Than Lore Or Sybok
Both Data and Spock had evil brothers who caused considerable problems for their respective Enterprise crews. However, where Lore wanted to destroy all organic life, he was generally working alone, or in fractious alliances with the Borg or Crystalline Entities. Spock’s brother Sybok engaged in kidnapping and hijack in his quest to come face to face with God itself, but he ultimately redeemed himself when he realized the folly of his zealotry. Odo, on the other hand, originated from the species that posed the greatest threat to Star Trek‘s Federation in a century. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 revealed that Odo was a Changeling, the enigmatic species that founded the Dominion.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Dominion War turned Odo into an unwitting weapon of genocide, when he was infected with the Morphogenic Virus. The weaponization of Odo was unbelievably cruel because it stripped him of his agency and further increased the division between Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s beloved Changeling Constable and his own people. Given that Section 31 failed to see him as an individual it was telling that Odo returned to the Great Link after the Dominion War. He clearly preferred to be with his people, rather than continue to work alongside the very Federation that turned him into a deadly weapon.
All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are streaming now on Paramount+.
